Wilderness roll over North Stars

Mike Dietrich and the Minnesota Wilderness continued their winning ways Friday night at the expense of the Thunder Bay North Stars.

Dietrich scored a home-ice hat trick, propelling the No. 2 ranked Wilderness (47-3-1) to a 9-3 win over the visiting North Stars, Minnesota’s ninth win in ninth tries against the former Superior International Junior Hockey League powerhouse.

Minnesota jumped out to a 6-0 first-period lead in a 10-minute span, Jake Larson, Jeremy Johnson, Joseph Drapluk and Nick Sova adding to Dietrich’s opening-stanza pair.

Kris Kellaway ended the goal-scoring streak at 18:47 of the first, starting the Stars on a mini-comeback that also saw them net the first two goal of the second. Tim Cavar made it 6-2 just 47 seconds into the second, with Kellaway adding his second 49 seconds later.

But Dietrich completed his hat trick at the three-minute mark and then Nick McCormack and Jake Larson added more Wilderness offence in the third.

McCormack also had a pair of assists in the game, half as many as teammate Michael MacKinnon.

The last-place Stars (25-23-1) were originally scheduled to travel to Duluth for games Saturday and Sunday, but have instead been awarded 1-0 wins following the Clydesdales unceremonious dumping from the league earlier this year.